A Winter Night
by Scorpio-Rat
Summary: A strange phenomenon occurs at Hikawa Shrine, and Rei is not amused by it when Usagi gets involved. Short story based off the prompt "Jack Frost".


**AN:** Here's another prompt based story, the basis being Jack Frost. I don't write Rei very often, so this was kind of interesting for me...

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Rei turned over in her bed for the fifth time that night, before giving up on sleep and staring at the wooden beams that supported the shrine's ceiling. Something was wrong, she just knew it...

She sat up silently and looked around her bedroom. Scattered across the floor in various sleeping bags and futons were her friends, having no trouble finding enough peace to drift off after their late night midterm study session. Usagi was even snoring like a trailer truck, two of of her limbs haphazardly tangled with an equally asleep Minako next to her. She'd complain of being deaf in one ear tomorrow.

A little farther away was Makoto, taking up almost as much space as Usagi was, but she at least had the excuse of having longer limbs. Ami had curled up next to her, with Luna and Artemis under the table on their own pillow. Rei eventually gave up on searching for anything strange, and laid back down again. It was probably just the caffeine she drank earlier playing with her senses. After taking a few meditative breaths, she slowly slipped into the darkness of sleep.

A cold wind across the back of her neck jolted her awake again, and she gasped and sat up. She heard crows calling frantically, and the room had dropped in temperature despite all the windows being closed. Something unwelcome had entered the grounds.

Rei's eyes jumped back to where Usagi was sleeping, only to see a pile of empty sheets. Maybe she went to raid the fridge, or to the bathroom. Or not. Rei decided to look for her anyway.

Grabbing her transformation tool from the desk, she stepped over the other motionless girls and entered the hallway. None of them stirred, and she wondered if they were being affected by this specter as well. Minako would have woken up if Usagi left voluntarily, because she definitely couldn't have done it without tripping on something. Rei placed a paper seal on her bedroom door just in case.

The hallways were chilled, and when she peeked in on the Sacred Fire, it was weaker than normal, as if retracting from the cold. Phobos and Deimos met her at the front door, silently gliding down from their perches on the shrine gate. One landed on her shoulder and the other flew ahead, calling for her to follow. Rei hesitated, then found a pair of shoes and stepped out into the snow.

The cold wind buffeted her as soon as she was in the open, and she winced as it seemed to cut right through her clothes. She hated it when the weather got this way… The wind blew again, sounding like a laugh as it kicked up snow. Deimos cried out to catch her attention, circling high over a tall, lanky figure cloaked in white standing at the far end of the property. A familiar blonde girl was over his shoulder, still oblivious to the world. Rei glared at the winter spirit, and she could have sworn it smiled back before it started to walk away.

So he wanted a challenge? Fine! She'd make him rue the day he stepped into her territory. In a flash of red and a burst of swirling flames, Sailor Mars stalked towards the intruder. This only seemed to amuse the ghost, and as she got closer, the snow fell heavier and heavier. It pushed against her like a living barrier, bogging her down and blinding her with white flakes. By the time she had gotten sick of stumbling around and burnt it away, Usagi and her kidnapper were gone.

Mars growled, but she was determined to catch him, whether he was toying with her or not. This was her home, and as long as the Sacred Fire burned, his power would be weaker than hers. She closed her eyes and concentrated, stretching her senses out until she found her Princess again, and started off into the woods after them.

"Get back here, you troublemaker!" Mars yelled as she ran full tilt through the woods. After nearly an hour of this ridiculous game, she was still no closer to catching them. And she was starting to get worried about Usagi's health… Even she was starting to go numb out here, and she was the senshi of fire. Another windy laugh filled the night, picking up her dark hair and tangling it behind her. As soon as she spotted him again, Mars struck.

"Burning Mandala!" Rings of fire licked at the snow around him, caging him in a circle of heat. But before he could snuff out her efforts with cold air, she summoned her cleansing tag. "Akuryo Taisan!" She knew the spirit wasn't quite evil, just dangerously annoying at best, but she was running out of options. The tags stuck to multiple trees, making a powerful barrier that trapped him in place. Keeping eye contact with him, she stepped inside the trap.

"I think you've had enough fun for one night, now let her go." Mars could see him clearer now that he was only a few feet away. If she hadn't witnessed his power, she'd have mistaken him for a white haired, teenage bum, reminding her of Yuuichirou when he first showed up on her shrine steps. But strong spirits took familiar shapes sometimes, and she did not want to underestimate him.

His white glowing eyes watched her intently, as if judging whether she had impressed him or not, and then he set Usagi down and took a step back.

Good, Mars didn't want to risk a fight with her so close. She let her tags fall, and the spirit nodded before fading into sleet. The wind quickly picked it up and spun around her before taking to the skies. She could have sworn she had felt a cold touch of a hand at her cheek before he was gone, but all she could do about it was grumble and make her way over to her friend, half sunk into the fresh snow.

The crow's broke the silence, and Mars let her guardians and familiars lead her back to the shrine, Usagi balanced carefully on her back as she held her steady. Usagi stirred and mumbled her name in question along the way, but Mars just told her to go back to sleep. The faster they got back inside the better.

The next morning came too soon for her taste. As the others woke up, Rei refused to leave her bed, savoring the lack of cold and ice beneath the sheets. For once, she had no intention of getting up before lunch.

"Come on Rei, it's 9 already! Don't you want breakfast?" She answered Makoto with a groan, not bothering to even look.

"So it's okay if I eat all of your pancakes then, right?" Minako said, hoping for a response. She frowned when nothing happened. Usually that drew her temper...

"Rei, are you alright?" Ami asked. Before Rei could even begin to try to explain herself, Usagi answered instead.

"I'm sure she's fine. You guys go eat, I'll catch up with you." Rei could just imagine the looks of surprise around the room after hearing that, but they left without further discussion. After a few minutes of comfortable silence in which she almost drifted off once more, Usagi spoke again.

"Thanks…" Rei snapped awake again, but she didn't face her.

"Hm…?"

"For carrying me back last night! Don't pretend it didn't happen." Rei blushed and rolled her eyes. Did she not expect to be saved? She would never forgive herself if Usagi were lost forever.

"Just ...don't get taken again and we'll call it even."


End file.
